Green-themed kids books printed on rainforest pulp

You think you’re being a good parent and a good green when you buy your child a book like, say, Rain Forests by Richard C. Vogt. Vogt’s book describes how Indonesian rainforests are among the most threatened — but it’s partially printed on virgin pulp from Indonesian rainforests.

Courtesy Rainforest Action Network

D’oh!

A new study commissioned by the local group Rainforest Action Network found that 60 percent of children’s books tested contained paper fiber linked to Indonesian rainforest destruction. Virtually all of the leading children’s book publishers are peddling books with the telltale fiber. Publishers with self-declared paper or climate commitments were just as guilty as those without.

The study was too small to be the last word on the issue, but the results are nevertheless damning.

Who cares about Indonesian forests, you say? They’re incredibly carbon rich, because the forest floor in many places is peat. They are home to more than 10 percent of all plant and animal species, and a full 16 percent of bird species. They’re also the sole habitat of the severely endangered orangutan. Just half of the archipelago’s original forest cover remains.

According to Transparency International, the Indonesian forestry industry is extremely corrupt, making buying forest products from the country a dicey proposition.